Door latching arrangements



June 4, 1963 T. c. SODDY DOOR LATCHING ARRANGEMENTS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 16, 1961 f June 4, 1963 T. c. SODDY DOOR LATCHING ARRANGEMENTS g Sheets-Sheet 3 W Filed Aug. 16, 1961 June 4, 1963 'r. c. SODDY DOOR LATCHING ARRANGEMENTS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 16, 1961 FIGS.

FIG.6.

United sates The invention relates to doors for railway freight cars and consists particularly in improved latching arrangements for combination doors comprising a main sliding door and an auxiliary flush door.

In cars provided with combination doors, part of the door opening is closed by the auxiliary flush door, which, when closed, is positioned in that part of the door opening and is opened by moving it outwardly of the car wall and sliding it along the car wall until it clears the opening. Outward movement of the auxiliary door is usually init1- ated by rotation of one or more vertical shafts journaled on the auxiliary door and actuated by handle levers pivoted to the shafts to swing parallel to the auxiliary door when the latter is closed. The main door is slidably mounted outside of the car side wall, to close the remain der of the door opening, and one of its vertical edges overlaps the adjacent vertical edge of the auxiliary door when the doors are closed. To ensure that the edge of the auxiliary door, which the main door overlaps when closed, is secured against outward movement, the auxiliary door is frequently provided with a lock comprising a vertical bolt slidably mounted on the auxiliary door near the overlapped edge and receivable in a registering pocket on the side wall below the door. Door structures are often damaged when an attempt is made to force the auxiliarydoor open by manipulation of the handle levers mentioned above without previously having opened the main door a sufiicient distance to clear the overlapped portion of the auxiliary door and/ or without releasing the edge lock bolt. Also, if the edge lock is released before the main door has been opened sufiiciently to clear the overlapped portion of the auxiliary door and the auxiliary door is moved outwardly, its overlapped portion will engage the overlapping portion of the main door with probable damage to the structure.

It is a main object of the invention to provide means for preventing outward movement of the portion of an auxiliary door overlapped by the main door while the doors are in lapping relation with each other, i.e., until the main door is opened sutficiently to clear the auxiliary door.

It is a further object to provide means for preventing the initiation of any outward movement of the auxiliary door from its closed position unless the main door is opened sufliciently to clear the auxiliary door.

These and more detailed objects and advantages are achieved by the structures illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 illustrates a portion of a car side wall and a combination door structure embodying a preferred form of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a top View corresponding to FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged view of another form of the invention.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged view of a third form of the invention.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged view of a fourth form of the invention.

In the drawings, the numeral 1 refers to a car side wall formed with a rectangular door opening 3. The right hand portion of opening 3 is closed by a main door 5 atent ice mounted outwardly of the car wall and slidable therealong on track 7 to a position clear of the opening. Main door 5 is latched in closed position by a lift handle 9, which is vertically slidably mounted on main door 5 by guide brackets 11 and 13, with its lower end adapted for abutting engagement with stop 15 on track 7. Additional locking means 16 of conventional type is provided for retaining the main door in locked position.

The remainder of door opening 3 is closed by an auxiliary flush door 17, the right hand edge of which underlies the left hand edge of main door 5. Door 17 comprises a rectangular frame having upright members 19 and 21 at each side, outer metal sheathing 23, and interior wood lining 25. Left hand frame member 19 mounts a hollow rubber gasket 27 on its inside surface for sealing engagement with the inner flange of the adjacent Z-section door post 29 when the auxiliary door 17 is in the closed position, with its exterior substantially flush with the car side wall 1. Right hand door frame member 21 mounts a vertical outwardly extending channel member 31 adapted to underlie the adjacent edge of the main door and close the gap between the outer surface of auxiliary door '17 and main door 5.

For properly positioning main door 5 relative to auxiliary door 17 when both doors are closed, right hand frame member 21 of the auxiliary door also mounts throughout its full height a vertically disposed stop member 32 of generally W-shaped cross section, as best seen in FIG. 3, one of its intermediate webs being perpendicular to the plane of the auxiliary door and in abutting relation with the protruding flange of the Z-section member which forms the edge of the main door when the main door is fully closed so as to prevent movement of the latter past the closed position. The outer web and flange of stop member 32 are adapted to overlappingly nest with the Z-section edge of the main door and thus provide weather protection for the main door-auxiliary door overlap.

Auxiliary door 17 is supported, for movement inwardly and outwardly of opening 3 and lengthwise of the car from and to its closed position, by track 33- mounted on the side walls below the door opening 3, and elongated carriage 35 carried by the track and pivotally mounting crank arms 37. At their outer ends crank arms 37 are secured to upright stub shafts 39, which are journaled on the lower portion of auxiliary door '17 as at 41. Additional crank arms 42 are secured to stub shafts 43, which are journalled on the upper portion of the door as at 44 and each mounts a roller 40 engageable with guide track 45, which is mounted on side wall 1 above the door opening.

For locking auxiliary door 17 in closed position, and initiating its movement to open position and completing its movement to closed position, a pair of vertical shafts 46 are j-our-naled on the outer surface of door 17, as at 47, and mount, at their upper and lower ends, offset lugs 48 which are received in slotted keepers 49 mounted on side wall 1 above and below the door opening, when the door is closed. For rotating shafts 46 to initiate opening and to complete closure of the door, each shaft 46 is provided with a handle lever 51 pivotally mounted at 53 to swing vertically, i.e., parallel to the door when the door is closed. When door 17 is locked in closed position, the free ends of handle levers 51 rest in an upwardly open recess 55 in bracket 56 mounted on the door intermediate shafts 46.

When auxiliary door 17 is closed, removal of handle levers 51 from recess 55 is prevented by sector latch 57 which is pivoted to the door at 5? immediately above bracket 56, so that its convex arcuate surface overlies recess 55 and mates with the concave arcu-ate upper surface of bracket 56 to prevent undesired removal of handle levers 51 from recess 55 and operation of shafts 3 45'. For convenience in operating latch 57, it may be provided with an operating handle 61.

Near \the vertical edge of auxiliary door 17, which adjoins, and when closed, underlies, a portion of main door 5, a substantially upright bolt 63 is slidably mounted on the auxiliary door adjacent its bottom edge, by means of a guide bracket 65. When the door is closed, in order to prevent outward movement of the adjacent edge of auxiliary door 17, bolt 63 extends downwardly from the bottom edge of auxiliary door 17 and into a pocket 66 on the car side wall below the door opening.

To prevent damage to the structure because of inadvertent attempts to force the door out of closed position, by use of the operating levers when the main door is closed, and to prevent release of bolt 63 while the main door is closed, a linkage is provided to interlock operation of sector latch 57, with operation of main door 5 and bolt 63.

The preferred form of linkage, illustrated in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, comprises a horizontal bar 67 pivotally connected at one end to sector latch 57, and at its other end to one arm of a right angle bellcrank 63 which is pivoted at 70 to auxiliary door 17 with its arms disposed 45 and 135 from the vertical axis through its pivot 76, the other arm of 'bellcrank 69 is connected to'a horizontal bar 71, which is slidably mounted on the door by means of bracket 73. The free end of bar 71 abuts the edge of main door 5 when the latter is closed and pre vents counterclockwise rotation of sector latch 57 while main door 5 overlaps the right hand edge of auxiliary door 17. Intermediate its ends, bar 71 is pivotally connected at 75 to the upper end of edge lock bolt 63, so that bolt 63 cannot be released while the main door overlaps the auxiliary door, and also, so that while bolt 63 is in its locking position, sector latch 57 cannot be rotated to release handle levers 51 and permit their manipulation to initiate opening movement of the auxiliary door. Thus, by means of this linkage, neither edge lock bolt 63 nor handle lever sector latch 57 can be released while the main door is completely closed, nor can handle sector latch 57 be released while edge lock bolt 63 is in locking position.

Operation of the door from closed position is as follows: Lock 16 is released, lift handle 9 is raised to clear stop and main door 5 is slid to the right, clearing the right hand edge of auxiliary door 17. This permits bar 71 to move to the right, which in turn permits counterclockwise rotation of sector latch 57 to release position and consequent retraction of bolt 63 from its pocket 65. Handle levers 51 may then be lifted from their locked position in recess 55 and swung outwardly from the door, to initiate opening movement of the door in the conventional manner. Conversely, this arrangement prevents full closing of the main door, because'of the projection of bar 71 to the right of the auxiliary door, until bolt 63 and handle lever sector latch are in their locking positions.

FIGURE 4 illustrates a second form of the invention, arranged-for clockwise rotation of sector latch 57' from the closed to release position. This is accomplished by repositioning bellcrank 69 in the bottom quadrant of its circle of rotation; i.e., with its arms disposed at 135 and 225 with respect to a vertical axis through its pivot. Operation of this form of the invention is the same as the first form, except that the sector latch in the second form is rotated clockwise rather than counterclockwise to release the lever handles.

FIGURE 5 illustrates a third form of the invention in which a bar 79 is slidably mounted on the door by brackets 81 and 83, with its one end connected to sector latch 57 and its other end positioned to abut the left hand edge of the main door 5 when both doors are fully closed and latch 57 is in its locking position. In this embodiment, edge lock bolt 63 is pivotally connected at its upper end to one arm of bellcrank 85, pivoted at 87 to the door and with its other arm pivotally connected to bar 79, so that, until the main door is moved .to the right, bar 79 cannot be moved, thus preventing retraction of edge lock bolt 63 and release of handle lever sector latch 57'. When main door 5 is moved to the right a sufiicient distance to clear the adjacent edge of the auxiliary door, bar 79 is free to move to the right, thus permitting clockwise rotation of handle lever sector latch 57 to the handle lever release position and consequent upward retraction of edge lock bolt 63 as bar 79 causes counterclockwise rotation of bellcrank about its pivot. The handle levers can then be withdrawn from recess 55 and manipulated to force the auxiliary door out of its closed position without interference of the main door or edge lock 63.

FIGURE 6 illustrates a fourth form of the invention, in which edge lock bolt 87 is pivotally connected at its upper end to one arm of bellcrank 89, which is pivoted on auxiliary door at 91, to the right of its connection to bolt 87, so that clockwise rotation of bellcrank 89 will cause retraction of bolt 87 from its pocket 66. The other arm of bellcrank 89 extends generally upwardly from pivot Q1 and terminates in a projection 93 extending to the right and abutting the adjacent edge of the main door when the latter is closed and bolt 87 is in its downward or locked position, thus preventing upward movement of bolt 87. Bellcrank 39 is provided with a suitable operating handle 95.

Operation of this form of the invention is as follows: When the main door is closed its left hand edge abuts projection 93 of bellcra'nk 89, preventing clockwise rotation of the bellcrank and consequent retraction of edge lock bolt 87 until the main door is moved to the right a distance sufiicient to clear the overlapped edge of auxiliary door 17. Conversely, the main door cannot be closed sufiiciently to overlap the adjacent edge of the auxiliary door until bolt 87 is projected downwardly into its pocket 66 in the car side wall.

Substantial variations in the details of the construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and the exclusive use of modifications coming within the scope of the appended claims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. Combination door structure for an upright Wall having an elongated door opening, comprising a main door mounted on the wall for sliding movement in a plane outward of the wall between an open position clear of the door opening and a closed position located in said plane and closing a portion of the door opening toward one end thereof, a flush door mounted on the wall for outward movement from a closed position within the door opening substantially flush with the wall and closing the remainder of the door opening, to a sliding position outward of said wall and for sliding movement on the outside of said wall to an open position clear of the door opening, an edge of said main door overlapping the adjacent edge of said flush door when both said doors are closed, a substantially upright bolt slidably mounted on said flush door near the last-named edge thereof, a pocket on the wall below said flush door receiving said bolt when said flush door is closed, operating mechanism for said bolt having a portion engageable with the lastmamed edge of said main door when said bolt is in said pocket and operative to retain said bolt in said pocket when said main door overlaps said flush door and'to retract said bolt from said pocket only when said main door is opened sufiiciently to clear the edge of said auxiliary door.

2. Combination door structure according to claim 1 in which said flush door mounts means for initiating its opening and completing its'closing movements, including a lever fulcrumed on an upright axis and swingable in a plane parallel to the surface of said fiush door when the latter is closed and rotatable outwardly therefrom to initiate opening movements and inwardly thereto to complete closing movements, upwardly-open recess-forming structure on said flush door for receiving an end of said lever when said flush door is closed, a latch pivoted on said door above said recess-forming structure and having a surface adapted to overlie the recess and prevent withdrawal therefrom of said operating lever and being rotatable to clear the recess and permit withdrawal therefrom of said operating lever.

3. Combination door structure according to claim 2 in which there is a connection between said bolt operating mechanism and said latch for retaining the latter against rotation from its locking position when said main door is fully closed.

4. Combination door structure according to claim 3 in which said connection includes a bellcrank pivoted on said flush door, a bar connecting one arm of said bellcrank to said latch, a second bar slidably mounted on said flush door and extending from said bellcrank to the edge of the main door, said mechanism portion comprising the end portion of said second bar, said bolt being pivotally connected to said second bar between said bellcrank and the mounting of said second bar on said flush door.

5. Combination door structure according to claim 4 in which said bars extend crosswise of said flush door and the chord between the extremities of the bellcrank arms is substantially vertical when said doors are fully closed.

6. Combination door structure according to claim 4 in which said bars are in substantial alignment crosswise of said flush door and the chord between the extremities of the bellcrank arms is in substantial alignment with said bars when said doors are fully closed.

7. Combination door structure according to claim 3 in which the portion of said bolt operating mechanism engageable with the main door edge comprises a bar slidably mounted on the auxiliary door near said edge and pivotally connected to said latch, and said operating mechanism includes a bellcrank pivoted on said auxiliary door with its arms connected respectively to said bar and said bolt.

8. Combination door structure according to claim 1 in which said operating mechanism comprises a bellcrank pivoted on said flush door and having one arm connected to said bolt and the other arm engageable with the adjacent edge of the main door when said doors are closed and then preventing rotation of said bellcrank and retraction of said bolt.

9. Combination door structure according to claim 1 in which said bolt operating mechanism includes a bellcrank pivoted on said flush door with its arms connected respectively with said bolt and said mechanism portion engageable with the main door edge.

10. Combination door structure for an upright wall having an elongated door opening, comprising a main door mounted on the wall for sliding movement in a plane outward of the wall between an open position clear of the door opening and a closed position located in said plane and closing a portion of the door opening toward one end thereof, a flush door mounted on the wall for outward movement from a closed position within the door opening substantially flush with the wall and closing the remainder of the door opening, to a sliding position outward of said wall and for sliding movement on the outside of said wall to an open position clear of the door opening, an edge of said main door overlapping the adjacent edge of said flush door when both said doors are closed, an upright bolt slidably mounted on said flush door near the last-named edge thereof, a pocket on the wall below said flush door receiving said bolt when said flush door is closed, a member movable on said flush door in the direction of opening of said main door and engageable with the last-named edge of said main door when the latter is closed whereby to prevent such movement at that time, said bolt and said member being connected to each other whereby retraction of said bolt is prevented when said main door is fully closed and permitted when said main door is opened a predetermined amount.

11. Combination door structure according to claim 10 in which said connection is a bellcrank fulcrumed on said flush door with its arms connected, respectively, to said bolt and said member.

12. Combination door structure for an upright wall having an elongated door opening, comprising a main door mounted on the wall for sliding movement in a plane outward of the wall between an open position clear of the door opening and a closed position located in said plane and closing a portion of the door opening toward one end thereof, a flush door mounted on the wall for outward movement from a closed position within the door opening substantially flush with the wall and closing the remainder of the door opening, to a sliding position outward of said wall and for sliding movement on the outside of said wall to an open position clear of the door opening when both said doors are closed, an edge of said main door overlapping the adjacent edge of said flush door, elements carried by the wall above and below the door opening, a vertical shaft carried by said flush door and mounting elements at its ends engaging said first-named elements and being rotatable to cause outward movement of the flush door from, and inward movement of the flush door to its closed position, an operating lever pivoted to said shaft for swinging movements in a plane parallel to the surface of said flush door when the latter is in closed position, upwardly open recess-forming means on said flush door for receiving an end of said lever when said flush door is closed, a latch pivoted on said door above said recess-forming means and having a surface adapted to overlie the recess and prevent withdrawal therefrom of said operating lever and being rotatable to clear the recess and permit withdrawal of said operating lever therefrom, an upright bolt vertically slidably mounted on the portion of said flush door adjacent said main door, a pocket on the wall below said flush door to receive said bolt when said flush door is closed, a bar mounted on said flush door for movement, in a plane parallel to the surface of said door, toward and away from the edge of said main door adjacent said flush door and adapted for abutting engagement with said main door edge, said bar being connected to said latch for retaining the latter against rotation from its locking position when said main door is closed and slidable in the direction of the main door when the latter is opened to permit rotation of said lat-ch from its locking position when said main door clears said flush door, said upright bolt being connected to said bar for retraction from said pocket when said bar is in its last-named position.

13. Combination door structure according to claim 12 in which the connection of said bar to said latch includes a bellcrank fulcrumed on said flush door and a second bar, said bellcrank having its arms connected respectively to said bars.

14. Combination door structure according to claim 13 in which said bars are substantially horizontal and said bellcrank is normally disposed with the chord connecting its arm extremities vertically positioned.

15. Combination door structure according to claim 13 in which said bars are in substantial alignment crosswise of said flush door and the chord connecting the extremities of said bellcrank arms is normally in substantial alignment with said bars.

16. Combination door structure in accordance with claim 12 in which the connection between said bar and said latch is a direct pivotal connection and the connection between said bar and said bolt comprises a bellcrank fulcrumed on said flush door with its arms respectively connected to said bar and said bolt.

7 17. Combination door structure according to claim 12 in which there are a pair of said vertical shafts, one being near each side of the door, and a corresponding pair of said operating levers both received in said recess when the door is closed and lockable therein by said latch. a

18. Combination door structure according to claim 12 in which said elements mounted on said shaft are oi fset locking lugs and said elements carried by the wall are slotted keepers for said lugs.

19. Combination door structure according to claim 18 in which there is a substantially horizontal track mounted on saidwall beneath said flush door, carriagestructure slidably supported on said track, and arms journaled on said flush door on vertical axes near the sides thereof and pivotally mounted on said carriage structure to permit movement of said flush door into and out of the door opening.

Beauchamp May 13, 1958 Beaucharnp Mar. 24, 1959 

10. COMBINATION DOOR STRUCTURE FOR AN UPRIGHT WALL HAVING AN ELONGATED DOOR OPENING, COMPRISING A MAIN DOOR MOUNTED ON THE WALL FOR SLIDING MOVEMENT IN A PLANE OUTWARD OF THE WALL BETWEEN AN OPEN POSITION CLEAR OF THE DOOR OPENING AND A CLOSED POSITION LOCATED IN SAID PLANE AND CLOSING A PORTION OF THE DOOR OPENING TOWARD ONE END THEREOF, A FLUSH DOOR MOUNTED ON THE WALL FOR OUTWARD MOVEMENT FROM A CLOSED POSITION WITHIN THE DOOR OPENING SUBSTANTIALLY FLUSH WITH THE WALL AND CLOSING THE REMAINDER OF THE DOOR OPENING, TO A SLIDING POSITION OUTWARD OF SAID WALL AND FOR SLIDING MOVEMENT ON THE OUTSIDE OF SAID WALL TO AN OPEN POSITION CLEAR OF THE DOOR OPENING, AN EDGE OF SAID MAIN DOOR OVERLAPPING THE ADJACENT EDGE OF SAID FLUSH DOOR WHEN BOTH SAID DOORS ARE CLOSED, AN UPRIGHT BOLT SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID FLUSH DOOR NEAR THE LAST-NAMED EDGE THEREOF, A POCKET ON THE WALL BELOW SAID FLUSH DOOR RECEIVING SAID BOLT WHEN SAID FLUSH DOOR IS CLOSED, A MEMBER MOVABLE ON SAID FLUSH DOOR IN THE DIRECTION OF OPENING OF SAID MAIN DOOR AND ENGAGEABLE WITH THE LAST-NAMED EDGE OF SAID MAIN DOOR WHEN THE LATTER IS CLOSED WHEREBY TO PREVENT SUCH MOVEMENT AT THAT TIME, SAID BOLT AND SAID MEMBER BEING CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER WHEREBY RETRACTION OF SAID BOLT IS PREVENTED WHEN SAID MAIN DOOR IS FULLY CLOSED AND PERMITTED WHEN SAID MAIN DOOR IS OPENED A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT. 